UCAS POINTS FOR iPRO
OCR’s Level 3 iPRO qualification, designed to provide aspiring ICT professionals with a gateway to industry, will earn UCAS points towards university entry from 2008. The innovative iPRO qualification is available from Levels 1-4, and incorporates certification units from industry organisations including Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA and Oracle. At Level 3, students can take six units to achieve Certificate level and eight units to pass the Diploma. Under the UCAS scheme, the Certificate equates to 80 points (equivalent to a B grade at A-level), while the Diploma will be the equivalent of 100 UCAS points (equivalent to an A-level A grade). OCR says iPRO provides young people with practical and industry relevant skills and experience, and will now also give them the opportunity to continue their IT studies at university. Feb 2007

‘TOWARDS MATURITY’ REPORTS
The Skills for Business Network has published the report on its ‘Towards Maturity’ research into workplace e-learning. The report says eight out of ten employers believe e-learning provides a uniquely accessible, flexible and cost-effective method of delivering training; and that e-learning allows organisations to respond rapidly to changing business needs with appropriate skills development, and increases morale and professional confidence among employees. For more details, and links to download the report, see Other Research pages (members only) or go to the news page of e-skills UK. Feb 2007

MORE COURSES FROM PINK ELEPHANT
Pink Elephant is adding a number of new courses to its existing portfolio of Best Practice training for IT. These include Foundation Level courses on Software Asset Management Essentials, COBIT Foundations and ISO/IEC20000 Essentials, and Practitioner Level courses on using ITIL Best Practices to Design & Document Processes and Procedures, Design & Implement a Service Catalogue and Create a CMDB. Pink Elephant has been involved in the ITIL project since its inception in the 1980s and claims to the world’s largest independent provider of ITIL Education and Consulting services. Feb 2007

IT TRAINING AWARDS 2007
It’s awards time again, and leading players from the industry gathered at London's Dorchester Hotel for the IITT’s annual IT Training Awards event. The ceremony was conducted by Lucy Alexander. This year's winners were:

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists, and to charity auctioneer Alan Bellinger, who once again succeeded in raising a substantial sum for ChildLine, bringing the total raised at this event in the last seven years to £100,000. Full details of award winners can be found on the Institute's website. Feb 2007

McAFEE SELECTS COMPUTEACH AS TRAINING PARTNER
Computeach has been selected to partner with network security specialists McAfee for the delivery and administration of reseller product training. Computeach and McAfee will run a series of training events across the UK, providing technical knowledge and skills for resellers of McAfee’s ‘Total Protection for Small Business’. The ultimate aim of the programme is to enable resellers to maximise sales opportunities for the small business IT security product.
In addition to these events Computeach will provide training to over 100 resellers as well as bespoke materials specifically designed for the new McAfee product. Computeach is providing a managed service, allowing McAfee to focus on core product issues. Feb 2007

GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE RUNS LEADING-EDGE MICROSOFT TRAINING ACROSS EUROPE
Global Knowledge is planning a series of events on advanced Microsoft technologies, with the focus topic changing with each delivery location. The first of these events will centre on Microsoft Cluster Services and will be delivered in London in March. It will provide high-end training for Windows Server 2003 clustering technologies, suitable for systems administrators, engineers, and architects. The four-day course will be delivered by Microsoft experts who have been brought together specifically to offer their expertise. A number of other courses delivering leading-edge content will be held in other major European locations throughout the year. Feb 2007

FAST LANE ON THE MOVE
Fast Lane – now the UK's second largest authorised Cisco training company, and also the exclusive training partner for NetApp worldwide – has outgrown its Maidenhead offices and has relocated to larger and more prestigious premises at New Lodge in Drift Road, Windsor. Feb 2007

CIPD PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AWARD
The search is on for innovative solutions and outstanding achievement in the field of people management and development, as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and People Management Magazine invite organisations to enter the 2007 People Management Award. This year there are four award categories. A new award for ‘Business impact through learning and development’ has been introduced, says the CIPD, “to reflect the crucial role learning and development plays in addressing skills shortages, retaining and developing employees, supporting organisational change and helping employers achieve business objectives”. Details. Feb 2007

JOE WHITE JOINS LEARNINGGUIDE
LearningGuide Solutions, the workplace performance support systems developer, has announced that Joe White is joining the company as General Manager, UK. White is a well known figure in the UK learning industry, with a management career spanning over twenty-five years with companies including QA, Computers for Business, and IBM where Joe managed two branches in the City. The company says White’s immediate task is to build a team of professionals to handle its growth in the UK market and to work with existing and new LearningGuide service partners. Feb 2007

XPERTISE BOARD APPOINTMENTS
Xpertise has announced that Ben Pike and Bill Walker are joining the main board of the Group. Ben Pike – now Operations Director – has been responsible for business integration following several acquisitions and for the successful delivery of over £15 million of client training. He also played a leading role in the development of the Group's Managed Training Service division. Bill Walker is Technical Director. He helped to launch Xpertise's Training Solutions business, was instrumental in the recent acquisition and integration of Xpertise's soft skills partner, Watermans, and is responsible for product development and marketing strategies. Feb 2007

FURTHER GROWTH AT STAYAHEAD
In a move that further expands its training offering, StayAhead Training has launched its own independently developed MySQL curriculum to provide courses for database administrators and developers. StayAhead says the addition of MySQL training complements its existing Linux, and Oracle portfolios and – following the development of its own independent Red Hat, Suse and LPI Linux courses over the past few years – further demonstrates its commitment to Open Source training. Feb 2007

KNOWLEDGEPOOL WHITE PAPER: HOW TO EVALUATE LEARNING OUTCOMES
KnowledgePool has launched a white paper outlining a new approach which learning and development practitioners can use to measure the impact of their learning interventions. Getting the Value out of Evaluation draws a distinction between evaluating the activity of training delivery and measuring the outcomes of the learning - the value or business benefit. KnowledgePool piloted the new evaluation approach with 1,000 learners who undertook different training courses in ten organisations. The white paper provides benchmark statistics, against which organisations can compare their own evaluation results. The benchmark figures show that the average performance improvement score for a training course is 35%; 70% of learners transfer their learning to the workplace; 53% of learners get line manager support to apply their learning; and 25% of learners neither apply their learning, nor get line manager support. The white paper can be downloaded free from its website. Feb 2007

WEB CHECK FOR BCS APPROVAL
Finding details of higher education courses accredited by the BCS is now possible using a special search option on the BCS website. The BCS reviews computing courses via a programme of accreditation visits to higher education institutions as part of its responsibility to develop and maintain standards in educational qualifications. As well as finding courses that have BCS accreditation, the new search facility tells you whether courses also result in chartered or incorporated accreditation from the Engineering Council and/or the Science Council. Feb 2007

UN AGREEMENT FOR ILX
ILX Group plc, the AIM-quoted vocational education and training company, has been awarded a new Long Term Agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to which it has provided consultancy and training support over the last three years. ILX says the agreement cements the relationship with the UNDP and allows ILX to compete for future contracts without the need to put the contract out for tender. The full value of this agreement is not yet clear, but it puts ILX in a strong position to compete for contracts across the 149 different nation states where the UNDP is active. Feb 2007

TRAINING SYNERGY EXCEEDS ITS TARGET FOR CHARITY
As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy, training solutions provider Training Synergy raised over £12,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support in 2006 - along with £1,500 for London-based charity Whizz-Kidz. Among a range of activities, employees held a charity auction, conducted a treasure hunt through the City of London, and took part in a triathlon and the London Marathon. Daniel Hanlon, Training Synergy's managing director, commented: "Our target for the year was to raise £5,000. Being a company of only 120 employees, we're particularly pleased to have raised nearly three times that amount."
Training Synergy has recently had its status as an 'Investor in People' (IiP) reconfirmed, and has also been awarded ISO 9001:2000 quality management certification. Feb 2007

HANDS-ON SKILLS WITH LIVE LEARNING FROM QA-IQ
QA-IQ has announced a new learning opportunity with the launch of its new Experience Packs, which allow learners to gain real-world experience with new and existing technologies in a safe, live environment. QA-IQ says the hands-on practical sessions ensure IT professionals return to the workplace having already gained experience of the actual situations they will meet. Experience Packs provide live access to real equipment and software, without the cost of equipment set-up, delivery or administration by using Live Labs to facilitate experiential learning. The user steps through a series of guided actions, works through real-world scenarios, and actively controls live equipment, learning-by-doing in a “trial and error” fashion. Live Labs can be accessed at any time from a broadband connection. Feb 2007

GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE INTRODUCES VMWARE VIRTUALISATION TRAINING
Global Knowledge is running a new VMware Virtual Infrastructure 3: Installation and Configuration course at its four training locations throughout the UK. Global Knowledge will be working in association with Magirus, one of Europe's leading IT infrastructure and solutions providers, to provide authorised VMware training to its customers. Later in 2007 Global Knowledge will also be introducing advanced VMware courses. Feb 2007

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION VIA EPIC E-LEARNING
Epic in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University has developed a portfolio of e-learning courses and resources that provide a route to an academic qualification (Certificate, Diploma and BA Hons in Leadership) through distance learning. The e-learning content is aimed at middle and senior managers in the public and private sectors, and is broken down into 51 learning topics each providing 20-50 minute e-learning courses, plus 5-minute refreshers, line managers’ guides, theory papers and topical weblinks for further reading Feb 2007

KAPLAN ADDS PRACTICE EXAMS FOR WINDOWS VISTA
Transcender, a provider of exam preparation software for IT certification tests and a part of Kaplan IT Learning, has released practice exams for certification on Microsoft’s Windows Vista Operating System. Kaplan says the practice exams simulate the complexity of the live certification exam to help technology professionals assess their exam preparedness through challenging questions, detailed answer explanations and thorough references. Transcender certification practice exams, study guides and online learning courses were chosen "Best Exam Preparation Product or Service" by Redmond Magazine readers in 2006 for the second consecutive year. Feb 2007

IITT INTRODUCES JOB VACANCY FACILITY
The Institute of IT Training is to pilot a new vacancy advertising facility to its members. It says the facility will allow organisations to advertise vacancies direct to the people they would want to employ. The vacancies will be sent direct to members using a monthly e-newsletter on a monthly basis. This facility will be piloted for six months. Feb 2007

XPERTISE EXTENDS SUCCESSFUL RUN OF MICROSOFT SEMINARS
Xpertise is to extend its popular series of seminars on new major Microsoft technologies, including Windows Vista, Longhorn Server, Live Communications Server, SharePoint and Microsoft Office 2007. Xpertise has been running its 'New Microsoft Technologies' seminars since October 2006, and says demand for the seminars has been unprecedented. Technical Director Bill Walker believes the demand for training on Windows Vista, Exchange 2007 and other new Microsoft products “will be very strong indeed in 2007”. Walker concludes: “People attending the seminars come to realise the true potential these new products bring and how the new and forthcoming certifications better align to their needs". Feb 2007

CONTRACTORS SEEK SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
IT contractors are responding positively to the threat posed by offshoring to entry-level IT jobs by favouring roles that allow them to develop higher value skills and gain management experience, according to a survey by Giant Group plc, a contractor services provider. The survey shows that skills development is now the second most important consideration for IT contractors, alongside work-life balance. The company says contractors at the higher end of the skills spectrum are benefiting from double digit pay increases, whilst IT workers in support roles are seeing their pay stagnate or even decline: “UK contractors are increasingly recognising the need to climb up the skills ladder and acquire more management experience as lower skilled IT functions continue to be sent offshore”. Feb 2007

CIPD CERTIFICATE IN MANAGING PEOPLE
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has launched a Certificate in Managing People, to equip managers with the practical skills needed to lead teams successfully, improve performance and contribute to business. The CIPD says its research shows that almost half of employees (43%) are dissatisfied with the relationship with their line manager, while one-third of employees (30%) say they rarely or never get feedback on their performance. It says many people are promoted into management jobs because of their knowledge and technical skills, but still need to be equipped to manage. The CIPD Certificate takes 12 months to complete and costs £3,750. Feb 2007

IMC ENTERS UK
IMC Information Multimedia Communication AG, a leading European vendor of learning management solutions, officially launched its business in the UK during the Learning Technologies 2007 exhibition in London. With its learning management system CLIX and rapid authoring tool Lecturnity, IMC (UK) Learning Ltd, the newly founded subsidiary of IMC AG, says it will “present cutting-edge technologies that underline its passion for learning to its potential clients”. IMC was founded in 1996. Its head office is located in Saarbrücken (Germany), it has offices or subsidiaries in Austria, Switzerland, Malaysia and Romania, and its new UK office is in Birmingham. Feb 2007

WALLER HART, LEARNING ARCHITECTS
Two well-known names in the UK's e-learning industry – Vaughan Waller and Jane Hart (formerly Jane Knight) – have formed a new learning consultancy called Waller Hart, Learning Architects (WHLA). With over 45 years of experience in the field, covering education, lifelong and organisational learning, Waller and Hart say they have developed “a unique and revolutionary learning design process which challenges the conventional way of interpreting learning and business needs”. Feb 2007

A FREE TV WITH YOUR MCSE?
Affordable Training, which sells distance learning courses to the self-funded (private individual) market, is offering a free brand new 42” Plasma TV worth over £900 to students who enrol on its MCSE, CCNP, MCSD, MCDBA, Oracle or CISSP online courses. The company’s advertising also offers students a free upgrade to its entire course library for one year. It says: “For example, even though you may have enrolled on MCSE, you will be given free access to MCSA, Digital Forensics, Certified Ethical Hacker, MCSD, Cisco and over 100 certified courses guaranteed to skyrocket your salary or boost your career. This alone is worth an additional £6000+ in training fees alone”. Feb 2007

McCLELLAND LAUNCHES GLOBAL TRAINING RESOURCES
Following the demise of Star Consulting (reported last month) its former Sales Manager Mark McClelland has launched a new company, Global Training Resources Ltd. McClelland says GTR is a managed training service provider and training broking service for customers with training requirements in IT Technical, End User Applications, Professional Skills and Management/Personal Development. Feb 2007

RM SELECTS INFOBASIS
RM, the leading provider of ICT software, services and infrastructure to UK schools, colleges and universities, has chosen InfoBasis Enterprise Skills Manager (ESM) to track the skills of its 230 technical support engineers. RM is creating a technical skills framework to assess capability across its Managed Services and Service Delivery workforces, and plans to use InfoBasis ESM to identify skills gaps and the training required to fill those gaps. The company also believes that future recruitment can be aided by a wider understanding of technical skills. Feb 2007

THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING
The University of Southampton is offering a workshop in how to maximise training and e-learning based on research on the human brain. It says the success of training and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) mainly depends on how well it conforms to the mechanisms and constraints of the cognitive system of the learners. The one-day workshop will present research on how the brain processes information, and its implications to enhancing training and e-learning. Participants taking part in the workshop “will not only have a better understanding of the human brain and the mechanisms involved in learning, but will know how to create a better fit between the learning and the learners”. Feb 2007

BRIGHTWAVE HELPS SCOTTISHPOWER AVOID DISCRIMINATION
Brightwave has developed a discrimination awareness portal for ScottishPower, the international energy company. The portal offers access to a number of resources including a high impact 'trailer' and links to the Company Intranet, as well as two e-learning modules. The portal also tracks usage, allowing ScottishPower to ensure all employees have undertaken this training. An employee module deals with the key areas of potential discrimination: age, religion and belief, disability, race, gender and sexual orientation. It has been rolled out to all ScottishPower employees. A Managers’ Guide has also been created, to cover individual and organisational issues in more depth. Feb 2007

BUPA CHEERS BLENDED APPROACH FROM TATA
Healthcare company BUPA operates 300 Care Homes throughout the UK. Each home has managers and administrators who must be trained on the Care Homes Financial System, known as CHEERs, before they are allowed to use the system 'live'. Until mid-2006, training was provided via a 5-day instructor-led residential course. Then BUPA appointed Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) to develop the e-learning materials for a blended solution. Trainees now complete the e-learning materials and must then pass an online assessment before progressing to a 3-day training course. TIS says the overall costs of providing the training have now fallen by 40% per delegate, and the number of courses delivered has increased by 300%. Feb 2007

THE PERFORMANCE SOLUTION LAUNCHES NEW CERTIFICATION COURSES
The Performance Solution has announced a series of new certification courses for 2007 which include an NLP Business Practitioner, a Certificate in Coaching Supervision and a series of 1-day Performance Workshops incorporating Extended DISC UK Ltd. The new courses will sit alongside TPS's existing portfolio of certification courses which include The Advanced Certificate in Executive Coaching; Organisational Development; Leadership; Influencing Skills; 1-2-1 Coach Supervision; and Coach Supervision Groups. Feb 2007

NEW RESEARCH ON ISSUES AND TRENDS IN IT AND TELECOMS
e-skills UK has released a set of Research Notes, which provide valuable information on key areas of interest in the IT and Telecoms sectors and workforce. Drawing on a wide range of sources they offer key facts and figures which highlight critical issues and trends. The first series of Research Notes includes:

• A Profile of the IT and Telecoms Workforce
• IT and Telecoms Business Analysis
• IT and Telecoms Salaries Analysis
• Higher Education and Graduate Recruitment in the IT and Telecom Workforce
• Women in the IT and Telecoms Workforce.

Download the Notes. Feb 2007

A NATIONAL SKILLS ACADEMY FOR IT?
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is inviting employers to work together to expand the National Skills Academy network. This is a structure of employer-led centres of excellence for skills training. They are intended to provide a means for hands-on involvement by employers in the design and delivery of learning, so that training is tailored to the specific needs of their sector. The LSC says its aspiration is for a National Skills Academy in each major sector of the economy. It wants National Skills Academies to operate in partnership with providers, particularly Centres of Vocational Excellence, but also universities, schools and independent training providers. [As far as we are aware, there are no current plans for an Academy for the IT industry.]
This new prospectus is for the third round of National Skills Academies, which are expected to open in 2008. Employers should contact their Sector Skills Councils (for IT, this is e-skills UK) or the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) in the first instance, to co-ordinate an expression of interest, after which a formal bidding process will commence. More info. Feb 2007

SURVEY ON EU ICT SKILLS AND CAREER PORTAL
The European Commission has launched a feasibility study for a European ICT skills and career portal. The portal concept was envisaged by the European e-Skills Forum, which proposed the following objectives for the portal:

• To reduce skills shortages and mismatches in the EU
• To foster ICT skills and attractive career paths
• To enhance ICT human capital management and training programmes
• To promote ICT skills and job roles definitions and standards and improve the image of the ICT industry through multi-stakeholder partnerships
• To help individuals to acquire new ICT skills by mapping training, qualifications and certifications to job roles.

The feasibility study includes a survey of those involved in the development and delivery of ICT skills. The EC invites stakeholders to complete the survey. It says contributions will be very valuable input in the development, design and business planning of the portal. Feb 2007

CLOSING SKILLS GAPS - PUTTING EMPLOYERS IN THE DRIVING SEAT
The DfES has unveiled new proposals for consultation on a demand-led system to put purchasing power for learning in the hands of employers and individual learners. Key measures will enable employers to determine the content of qualifications and advise on curriculum design. Funding will follow employers’ demand and they will be able to choose their preferred suppliers. Adult learners will be given purchasing power to use entitlements to learning through new learner accounts. To reduce bureaucracy for providers, detailed plans will no longer need to be agreed with providers. Funding for adult and employer provision will depend on numbers of learners providers can attract. Delivering World-class Skills in a demand led System is available here. The LSC and DfES will be organising consultation events over the next few months. Feb 2007

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